Meaning wins G2 Santa Anita Oaks with purpose, Kentucky-bound
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Meaning proved she’s the queen of 3-year-old fillies in California on April 4, delivering as the odds-on favorite to score a two-length victory in the storied $200,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G2).
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, the talented daughter of Gun Runner tracked just behind the leaders early in the 1 1/16-mile event, as the frontrunners carved out a quick opening half-mile in :46.55. Traveling well throughout, Meaning was pinned along the rail and patiently awaiting room as the field moved into the far turn. Hernandez was eventually able to guide her to the outside for a three-wide bid, and she responded by ranging up to challenge fellow stablemate and Gun Runner filly Brooklyn Blonde as they straightened for home.
The two Michael McCarthy-trained fillies separated themselves from the field in the stretch, but it was Meaning who proved superior. The progressive filly continued to find more late, drawing clear of her stablemate and finishing under wraps, two lengths to the good. The final time was 1:43.99 over a fast main track.
“Really pleased with her effort. She learned a lot today,” said Aron Wellman, Eclipse’s President & Founder. “She broke sharp and wanted to be up in the vanguard. Juan rode a beautiful race, was patient and she took dirt. She waited, had to check a little bit at the five-sixteenths pole and go around. Then her class and stamina took over. But credit to Bobby Flay and Brooklyn Blonde, she really gave Meaning a run for her money. It was a hell of a throwdown there.”
Hernandez, who had worked Meaning in the mornings over the past month, said he rode the race favorite with confidence.
“She was game,” said Hernandez. “We broke so sharp and good. When she came back to me, that’s when she started traveling beautifully. I was saving ground inside, and when something opened up on the outside, we made our move. Every race she’s getting better and more professional.”
The win was Meaning’s second consecutive stakes victory, following her score in the Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita over Explora on February 8. The bay filly now owns three wins from four starts, with her lone defeat coming in the form of a troubled fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in just her second start.
“I’m proud of both of these fillies,” said McCarthy. “I felt good in the stretch, but I felt a lot better after crossing the line. I was thinking about the demanding side of this track today. We’ll get them both to Churchill and prepare from there. Meaning put herself in the game at the eighth pole and went on from there. This sets her up well for Churchill.”
With the Santa Anita Oaks victory, Meaning now sits atop the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 126 points. She increased her earnings to $307,000 for Eclipse and partners Bridlewood Farm.
“We asked a lot of her, off her debut maiden win at Los Al sprinting, to go to the Breeders’ Cup,” Wellman added. “We gave her a little bit of time to go in the Las Virgenes and she delivered that day. You just always want to walk that fine line between having an Oaks prospect ready enough for these preps to qualify on points. Obviously these are prestigious races in their own right–the Santa Anita Oaks is the Santa Anita Oaks. But you know that the major goal is still a month away. Hopefully this program, the space in between races, sets her up for the first Friday in May.”
Congratulations to our partners for Believing Big. See you in Louisville!